KABUL — The release of explicit photographs of U.S. soldiers apparently engaged in atrocities against Afghan civilians threatens to ignite tensions between the Afghan and U.S. governments and provide fodder for the Taliban’s efforts to persuade Afghans that the foreign troops in their country are a malevolent force.

NATO officials and Western diplomats have been steeling themselves for the release, worried it will further undermine relations with President Hamid Karzai at a sensitive time when there have been several recent episodes of civilian casualties.

There was little immediate reaction in Afghanistan. Monday was Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which is a national holiday. The military and diplomats are hoping to mute public anger by emphasizing that the soldiers in the Afghan case are being brought to justice.

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